DOJ Gives California 48 Hours to Review Flagged Voters

The Justice Department has given California officials 48 hours to examine a federal list of people it believes may not be citizens and warned it may go to court if the state does not act. The October 13 demand asks officials to set aside ballots for people whose eligibility cannot be confirmed, but the claims about individual voters are not established findings.

The Demand Arrived With a Thumb Drive

The federal government delivered a password-protected drive containing names to Los Angeles County officials. Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter told the state and county to check whether the names included citizens and to segregate, rather than cancel, certain mail ballots while eligibility is evaluated.

A Short Deadline and Disputed Evidence

The 48-hour demand lands with the November 3 election already underway. State officials and election-law specialists questioned the compressed schedule and the reliability of federal lists, pointing to previous cases in which suspected noncitizens turned out to be citizens. The Justice Department defended its position as enforcement of the rule limiting federal voting to citizens.

A Possible Emergency Court Fight

The letter says the government will seek emergency court relief if its requested steps cannot be carried out. That threat is not itself a court ruling or proof of unlawful voting. Whether federal authorities file suit, and how California answers the list, are the concrete developments that will determine what happens next.

References: Justice Department threatens California with legal action over claim of noncitizens on voter rolls | Top U.S. DOJ official orders California to review list of possible noncitizens who received mail ballots